Discs upon which information is recorded are well known. Sound records, generally referred to as compact disc records, in which information is retrieved through a light reflected from the record have become commercially popular. Those discs are susceptible to damage by improper handling. For that reason, various automatic mechanisms are generally employed for loading a compact disc into a playback apparatus. Examples of known mechanisms include drawers on which a compact disc is placed and pivoting doors containing a slot into which a compact disc is inserted. Typically, in these mechanisms, the drawer or door automatically closes, a spindle engages a central opening in the disc, and the disc is rotated for retrieving information from it. Generally, these known loading mechanisms occupy a relatively large volume reducing their utility in portable playback apparatus and in other applications where space is limited, such as in motor vehicles.
Recently compact discs of different diameters have become commercially available. The discs are produced in nominal diameters of eight and twelve centimeters. A playback apparatus desirably accepts discs of different diameters and plays them back without the use of special adaptors or other steps by the operator to indicate the disc size. A desirable playback apparatus automatically centers a disc, regardless of its diameter, and loads it into the playback position for retrieval of the recorded information.